Honda getting its ‘sporty mojo back’

Honda Australia says its continued investment into Formula One and the arrival of the NSX supercar are all signs that the Japanese brand is getting its ‘sporty mojo back’.

For years Honda was credited with creating the most interesting and sporty cars coming out of Japan, however, in the last decade or so, some have suggested that it has lost its way, focusing too heavily on fuel efficiency at the cost of all else. But that’s all set to change for the better, Honda claims.

Speaking to media at a press conference alongside McLaren-Honda Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso, Honda Australia director Stephen Collins said the brand’s return to F1 has been a good step for its business.

“Look it has been very, very good,” Collins said.

“Honda Australia is very pleased to have everyone here today. Our dealers are very much engaged with the partnership with McLaren and Honda.

“It’s an exciting year. I think it’s one of the signals that Honda is getting its sporty mojo back, obviously back in F1 and this year we are launching the all-new NSX in Australia and the new Civic… so it’s a really exciting partnership and Honda Australia is very proud to have the team here today.”

Despite the partnership on track, McLaren and Honda road cars have very little to do with each other. In fact, in some ways, the NSX will begin to compete with the more affordable entry-level sports cars from McLaren when it arrives later this year.

“Honda Australia has a really long and distinguished history with NSX and it has been one of our major priorities and we will certainly see NSX here, we expect in November of this year.

“At this stage we have asked our dealers not to take orders until we can finalise the price but we know a number of them are holding orders, so it’s a very exiting car for us it really showcases the hybrid technology that Honda has and we expect it will be a really great car for our brand.”

Although prices are yet to be confirmed, CarAdvice believes Honda will price the NSX around the $300,000 mark, inline with its US dollar-pricing, comparative to other cars. The brand is also expected to follow on from the NSX with more affordable sports models on its quest to get its ‘mojo’ back.